Windows 10

Microsoft has acknowledged an issue affecting some Windows 10 users who have installed the KB5034912 update released in November. The problem means that 0x80073cf2 errors may occur when using the System Preparation Tool (Sysprep.exe).

For now, the company has published details of a somewhat fiddly workaround, but it says that it is working on a proper fix which will be made available "in an upcoming release".

Five-hundred-and-seventy-eight in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Windows 10 is still the leading version of Windows when you compare usage. Microsoft published a video this week that it says helps users switch to Windows 11. It is doubtful that it is going to convince Windows 10 users to make the move, as it is relatively short and without meaningful arguments.

It’s no secret that Windows 11 is struggling to gain meaningful market share, even with end of life looming for its significantly more popular predecessor, Windows 10.

The software giant has added a lot of features and functionality to its new OS, including introducing AI in the form of its virtual assistant, Copilot. Even so, that’s still proving not enough to encourage resistant users to make the move. So now the company is taking a different approach.

Five-hundred-and-seventy-seven in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft plans to remove the WordPad application from future versions of its Windows 11 operating system. While WordPad is going away, Microsoft is working on adding AI to the plain text editor Notepad.

Less than two weeks into 2024, and Windows 10 users are being treated to their first update of the new year.

The KB5034122 update is a significant security release which also addresses a variety of bugs in Windows 10. Among the problems the updates fixes are two related to smart card usage, and a scroll bar issue.

Five-hundred-and-seventy-six in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Future Windows PC keyboards may have a dedicated Copilot key. First keyboards with a key will become available in late February. A tap on the key launches Copilot. It is unclear if additional shortcuts will be supported.

Five-hundred-and-seventy-five in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

The next, and maybe final Moment update for Windows 11 could land in February. It may introduce the long-awaited options to remove Edge, Bing Search and other components in the European Economic Area.

Five-hundred-and-seventy-four in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft released a troubleshooting tool to fix a printing issue that identified non-HP printers as HP printers. The tool corrects the issue when run.

The upcoming end of Windows 10 support may lead to hundreds of millions of devices becoming obsolete, potentially contributing significantly to electronic waste. The industry predicts that the end of Windows 10 support in 2024 will affect customers' refresh plans, with one in three devices expected to be replaced in the next two years.

Despite the growing capabilities of partners to refurbish and resell PCs, devices not supported by Windows 11 will not be viable for reuse, exacerbating the industry's e-waste problem.

Microsoft has been killing off -- or at least warning of the impending death of -- a number of features of Windows recently. The likes of Steps Recorder and speech recognition are among those to have been ditched, replaced with Snipping Tool and voice access respectively.

The latest additions to the list of deprecated features are Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Edge and legacy console mode. The former affects Microsoft Edge for Business, while the latter is being converted into an optional feature that won't be part of a default installation.

Last month, users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 started complaining about an odd problem that saw printers being renamed and the HP Smart app being forcibly installed. It took Microsoft a little while to acknowledge the issue, but ultimately the company conceded that the fault did not lie with HP.

But what those affected by the weird bug have been waiting for is a fix; this is now available in the form of KB5034510: Microsoft Printer Metadata Troubleshooter Tool - December 2023. Microsoft says that the tool will restore any previously downloaded model information and icons and will "remove HP LaserJet M101-M106 model information, icons, and application associations" as well as uninstalling the HP Smart app for anyone without an HP printer.

Five-hundred-and-seventy-three in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Windows Copilot is now also available for Windows 10. Microsoft released cumulative update KB5033372 this week that introduces the AI-powered tool on Windows 10 systems.

The time of the month for Microsoft to release its security updates for Windows has rolled around again. The company has released the KB5033372 update for Windows 10, bringing not only security fixes, but other improvements and new features -- including Copilot.

As the KB5033372 update includes security fixes, it is rolling out to all Windows 10 users automatically. This means that everyone will be given access to a preview version of Microsoft's AI-powered digital assistant.

Five-hundred-and-seventy-two in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Windows 10's official support will run out in October 2025. Microsoft confirmed that customers will be able to extend support beyond that month for a price.

If you have noticed that Windows suddenly thinks you have an HP LaserJet M101-M106, you are not alone. The same is true if you've spotted that the HP Smart app has installed itself on your computer.

These are issues that have been affecting users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 for a little while, but Microsoft has only just acknowledged that a problem exists.